An epicardiac pacing lead is used to apply electrical stimulation to the heart of a cardiac surgical patient from an external pacemaker. Electrical stimulation is normally used after surgical procedures on cardiac patients to correct arrhythmic beating of the heart. The electrical stimulation may be applied to the atrium, to the ventricle or sequentially to the atrium and the ventricle of the heart.
The pacing lead has a stimulating electrode at one end, the other end is adapted for electrical connection to the pacemaker. The pacing electrode is implanted in the body of the patient, with the stimulating electrode in electrical contact with the heart. The conventional pacing lead is affixed to the external surface of the heart with a suture and is threaded with a thoracic needle (at its other end) through the chest or upper abdominal wall of the patient for connection to the external pacemaker via an external extension lead commonly known as a patient cable.
Typically, such a pacing lead is supplied for use in a stored condition in which it is usually wrapped on a card and sometimes wound into a coil. Prior to implantation into the body of a patient, the pacing lead is manually unwrapped from the card and unwound from the coil so that it can be installed by threading through the body of the patient.